By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
THE PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has escalated its standoff with the Dangote Refinery, declaring a total nationwide strike that will bring operations across the country’s oil and gas industry to a halt.
The union issued the directive following what it described as the “illegal dismissal” of more than 800 Nigerian workers at the refinery.
According to a circular signed by Lumumba Okugbawa, General Secretary of PENGASSAN, after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, all members of the association are to withdraw their services across every field location from 6.00am on Sunday, 28 September 2025, while the complete shutdown of offices, companies, institutions, and agencies will commence from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, 29 September 2025.
The statement left no room for ambiguity: “All PENGASSAN members working across field locations are to withdraw services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, 28 September 2025, and commence 24-hour prayers. This includes all control room operations, panel operations, and outfield personnel.
‘All PENGASSAN members across all offices, companies, institutions, and agencies should withdraw all services effective 00:01 on Monday, 29 September 2025.
No intervention whatsoever will be entertained across field locations except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk; such clearance must be obtained from the National Secretariat.”
The union also directed that all processes involving gas and crude oil supply to the Dangote Refinery must be discontinued immediately.
It further instructed international oil companies (IOCs) to scale down production and cut supply to the refinery and its petrochemicals subsidiary.
“All IOC branches must ramp down gas production and supply to Dangote Refinery and petrochemicals,” the circular read.
PENGASSAN accused the refinery of dismissing Nigerian workers for joining the association, stating that the mass layoffs violated Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and International Labour Organisation conventions.
The union alleged that more than 800 Nigerian staff had been sacked and replaced with “over 2,000 Indians,” calling the move “an affront to all workers in Nigeria.”
The statement went further to highlight the seriousness of its campaign.
“The prayer point should include a call to God Almighty to give courage to those in authority to rein in Dangote and his co-travellers on the need to obey the laws of our country,” it said.
The directive added that members must sustain 24-hour prayer vigils as part of the industrial action until the refinery recalled the dismissed workers.
The union stressed that the strike would not be suspended without full compliance with its demand. “An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” it declared.
The Dangote Refinery had earlier confirmed on Friday that it had terminated the contracts of some staff but insisted that only “a small number” were affected as part of a reorganisation exercise.
It rejected claims of mass dismissal and accused PENGASSAN of attempting to sabotage the country’s energy supply chain.
In a statement, the refinery noted that the directive by the union to halt crude oil and gas supply was a deliberate attempt to disrupt national energy stability.
Despite this rebuttal, PENGASSAN maintained its position, stating that the dismissals were targeted at workers who had exercised their right to join the association.
The union emphasised that its members were being punished for unionisation and for seeking to defend labour rights at the refinery.
The escalation represents one of the most significant labour disputes in Nigeria’s energy sector in recent years. PENGASSAN has now taken a firm stance, positioning the dispute not only as an industrial matter but also as a test of compliance with the laws of the country.
The union framed the action as a defence of Nigeria’s sovereignty in the face of corporate practices it described as hostile to workers’ rights.
The refinery, which has been touted as Africa’s largest, has faced repeated controversies with labour unions.
Prior disputes with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) raised concerns about safety standards and broader labour rights.
With this latest clash, the tension between Dangote Industries and organised labour has deepened significantly.
The PENGASSAN circular stated that the nationwide strike would be sustained indefinitely and would only be lifted once all the sacked Nigerian workers were reinstated.
“No intervention will be entertained across field locations except where the safety of personnel and assets is at risk. Any such clearance must come from the National Secretariat,” the union reiterated.
The decision to extend the strike beyond field locations to all offices, agencies, and companies represents a full shutdown of oil and gas operations under the control of the association’s members.
With its reach across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, the directive has potential to cause widespread disruption across Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
The call for prayers by PENGASSAN underlines the spiritual and moral framing it is giving to the dispute.
By directing members to engage in continuous prayer vigils, the union is reinforcing the seriousness of its campaign while seeking broader solidarity among Nigerian workers and the general public.
The association said it would not retreat until “the rights of Nigerian workers are respected, and justice is restored.”
The Dangote Refinery, commissioned as a flagship project to boost Nigeria’s refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported petroleum products, has been operating under heightened scrutiny since its launch.
Labour groups have raised concerns about working conditions, recruitment practices, and safety standards.
The refinery’s management has consistently defended its operations, pointing to the scale of its investment and its potential contribution to national development.
However, the latest conflict has moved beyond operational issues to a direct confrontation over labour rights.
The allegation that over 800 Nigerians have been dismissed and replaced with foreign workers has ignited anger within PENGASSAN, which sees the development as a direct insult to the nation’s workforce.
The union has urged government authorities to intervene and ensure compliance with existing labour laws.
The circular also stressed that PENGASSAN views the actions of the refinery as a challenge to the sovereignty of Nigeria’s labour institutions.
It further warned that if such practices were allowed to continue unchecked, they could set a dangerous precedent for other companies operating in the country.
“No man is bigger than our country,” the union said, reaffirming its determination to resist any attempt to undermine labour rights.
The emergency meeting of PENGASSAN’s National Executive Council, which produced the directive, was convened in response to reports from members at the refinery who claimed they had been dismissed without due process.
The NEC resolved unanimously to escalate the dispute to a national strike, citing the need for solidarity across all branches of the association.
The nationwide strike is expected to impact production levels and supply chains across the energy sector, with potential ripple effects on the economy.
While PENGASSAN has emphasised that it will allow interventions only to safeguard personnel and assets, the suspension of operations at field locations and supply cut-off to the Dangote Refinery marks a significant disruption.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between organised labour and large private sector operators in Nigeria.
With the government promoting foreign investment and large-scale projects such as the Dangote Refinery, unions have sought to ensure that workers’ rights are not sidelined in pursuit of corporate goals.
PENGASSAN’s latest action signals that it will continue to play a central role in defending these rights, even in the face of powerful opposition.
The refinery’s response has so far remained defiant, maintaining that the dismissals were part of a restructuring exercise and did not amount to mass layoffs.
However, its insistence that only a small number of workers were affected has not satisfied PENGASSAN, which has circulated figures pointing to a much larger number of Nigerians dismissed.
The strike, now entering a critical phase, is set to test the strength of both sides.
With PENGASSAN commanding significant influence in the energy sector, the halt in services could exert pressure on the refinery and the government to seek resolution.
On the other hand, Dangote Refinery’s role in the national energy framework may also force authorities to weigh the economic implications of prolonged industrial action.
For PENGASSAN, the central issue remains the reinstatement of all dismissed Nigerian workers.
The union has made it clear that no compromise will be accepted until this demand is met in full saying that its emphasis on 24-hour prayer vigils and the invocation of divine support suggests it is positioning the strike not only as a labour dispute but also as a broader moral cause.
